Last Bullet
by ajii
Summary: It was an unspoken rule for me to always save the last bullet for myself. I never thought the day would come when I had to use it on you.


I stand in front of a polished stone; the air was cool, and it wrapped me in a cold embrace. The sky was red, as red as the flowers that bloomed the moment you hit the ground. We're alone here. We're safe. It felt as if time had stopped. Amidst the chaos happening in the once peaceful land, I find tranquility in staying here with you. Only you would have that kind of effect.

The war against the Apocalypse is still ongoing. We lost so many comrades, so many friends we once found comfort in… But here I am. I'm still alive, and it is all because of you.

My eyes well up with tears, but I do not let them fall. You wouldn't allow me to cry if you were here. It would make you sad, and you'd try your best to make me laugh. I could not cry knowing you won't be running back to me to chase these tears away. I can't cry. I can't show weakness after everything.

On the night of the fifth attack, you came to me. I still remember the look in your eyes. I remembered how fear shone in your eyes, how your entire being showed hopelessness. I remembered feeling your terror. Even if you were afraid, you held my shaking hands. You were scared. You were afraid of what will happen. You did not want me joining the battle. You wanted us to run away. You wanted us to escape before we could get involved in the mess, but you also knew we had nowhere to run. Everywhere, every corner of the world, Alice has already destroyed it. Instead of breaking down into tears, you looked at me with determination in your eyes. I remember what you told me.

" _Nowhere is safe anymore. Every corner, every city… our own home, it's all gone. If this world is on the verge of destruction, then I might as well fight alongside you until the end."_

We were survivors. We fought every monster, every undead soldier without holding back. We no longer cared if our bodies were stained with the blood of demons and terrifying creatures. We grew numb to it as time passed by, but to the heartless enemies, it became boring to watch. Vexana used a cruel spell. The bodies that contained the souls of the people we once loved began attacking us, too. It was horrible to see our own friends being tormented like this. It was painful to attack these monsters when they had the faces of our dead allies.

You saw your friend Nana die in the battlefield only days ago, but there she was, standing in front of you with the eyes of a dead fish. It was evident she was no longer the Nana you knew. You were in shock, and without even realizing it, you start sprinting towards her direction. I screamed thinking you were going to do something you shouldn't have, but a ring of fire appeared around the walking corpse and before I knew it, the body dropped to the ground.

It was painful for me to see, as well. But what hit me harder was the hardened expression on your face. Your face seemed unemotional, but your eyes screamed regret. You looked at me with an empty smile. I remember what you said that day.

" _I failed to protect her once. The least I could do was save her from this."_

A few weeks passed after that day. We watched the aftermath of the carnage. You couldn't handle seeing the bodies of the friends we lost during the week. I cried so many times. You tried to stay strong. You were still a flower that had yet to fully bloom, but you already saw so many things you shouldn't have seen. I knew you were scared. I told you not to worry. I told you I'd protect you. You only kept silent as you put your arms around me.

The day after that, I watched my own, happy world burn right in front of my eyes.

We were cornered. I signaled for help, but they couldn't arrive sooner. It was just you, me, and a hoard of demons standing behind the Spear of Quiescence. He was there to kill me. He was there to take you with him. I was injured, and you barely had any mana left within you. We were both vulnerable to anything he had up his sleeve. I only had two bullets left.

Help wasn't going to arrive as fast as we hoped. I had to stall him somehow. It led to arguing with the enemy, and I can't recall what I said, but I ended up provoking him. I barely had any time to react as he aimed his spear at me. I was going to die. I was going to leave you behind. I felt afraid, not for myself, but for you. I was going to end up leaving you on your own, and you'll end up in the hands of the enemy who so desperately needs you in her scheme. I waited for his spear to end my life then and there. I closed my eyes, but the pain never came. Instead, I felt you push me away. I froze as my eyes zeroed in on the sight before me.

You were on your knees, clutching your side that had been pierced by the spear. It was stuck inside your wound. Your eyes widened at the sight of the dark red that was quickly staining your clothes. I remember screaming in horror as you began to cough up blood. You dropped to the ground, clutching your side in pain. Color was starting to drain from your skin, and I trembled. I was supposed to keep you safe. I promised I'd do anything to keep you away from harm, but I still let that happen to you. Whether or not it was bad timing, I didn't know, but reinforcement came and took care of the demons surrounding the man in front of us. I quickly took my rifle and shot him in the head. He died in an instant.

I rushed to your side and dropped my rifle. Tears were streaming down my face at the time. You were struggling to breathe. I lay your head on my lap and stroked your head with a trembling hand. I remember the last conversation we'll ever have up until now.

* * *

" _Harley? Harley… Please, you can't. You can't die!" Lesley sobbed. "You'll be fine. We'll get Rafaela, and then you'll…"_

" _Lesley…" Harley gasped. "It hurts. It hurts so much." He cried silently, but he couldn't move a muscle. "… I don't think I can make it."_

" _No! Don't say that! Don't you dare say that again," The sniper cried. She tried so desperately to deny it, but fate was cruel._

 _Harley slowly turned his head to look at his sister. He was pale, and the light in his eyes was slowly becoming dimmer. "You protected me all these years. I figured-" He coughed up more blood and took a sharp breath. "I figured it was about time I did the same for you."_

 _Lesley's tears didn't stop falling. Gusion and Cyclops ran towards the siblings only to gasp at the sight. They both looked horrified. "No…" The one-eyed mage muttered. "We were too late." Gusion uttered angrily, a terrible feeling washing over him._

 _Harley was having trouble breathing properly. He looked as if he was in so much pain. Blood was pooling all around him. Lesley's own clothes were stained by it, but she could not care less. Gusion approached her carefully. A pained look was etched on his face. He too was just as sorrowful as she was. He felt frustrated that he couldn't arrive sooner._

 _And now… his rival, his lover's younger brother who always fought for her affection, was about to waltz into the hands of death._

" _Lesley… He's in so much pain…" Cyclops said sadly. He didn't care anymore if they saw his tears. He lost the last of his friends from the Midget Squad. They will never be complete. They will never be able to have fun together._

 _Gusion looked at Lesley. "You… you have to put him out of his misery."_

" _What?!" She yelled. "You can't be telling me to kill my little brother! He'll live! We can still save him!" Her voice broke, and more tears came falling. "We can still…"_

"Lesley, look at him!" Gusion cried out. "Harley won't make it, no matter what we do." He sounded like it hurt him to hear those words out of his own mouth. "If we leave him like this or take the time to get him to the supports' tent, he'll just bleed to death. Do you want him to suffer?"

 _Lesley couldn't say anything. She didn't want her brother to suffer. She didn't want him to die either… Lesley took one more look at her brother. He was staring at her, but at the same time, it didn't look like he was paying any attention. A single tear rolled down Harley's cheek. It must've been hard for him. She couldn't let him feel pain until he died. Lesley couldn't do that to him._

 _Lesley carefully laid down her brother on the ground. She kissed her little brother's forehead gently, like she always would, but this would be the last time she does it. Lesley stood and took her rifle._

 _Harley smiled at her. She made her decision. "Lesley?" He whispered._

 _She continued to cry silently, but she tried to sound like how she normally would for Harley. "Yes?"_

" _Thank you. For everything." Harley said tearfully. "You'll always be the best sister ever."_

 _Lesley bit her lower lip and tried to smile through her tears. "And you'll always be the best brother."_

 _Without a moment's hesitation, Lesley aimed her rifle at her own brother and ended his life before the pain could._

* * *

These memories were painful to remember, but somehow, they were comforting. They were memories of you. You were the only thing keeping me sane in this world, but you too have vanished. I almost lost it back then. I almost tried to end my life once for failing to protect you. You died because I was too weak. But then I remembered your sacrifice would be put to waste… and I didn't want that.

It was an unspoken rule for me to save my last bullet for myself. I'm… happy. Instead of using it on myself, I used it to protect you from a slow, agonizing death.

Harley, my dearest brother. You were my will to live. You are the reason why I'm still alive.

I promise to you that your death will not be in vain.

I love you so, so much.

* * *

 **A/N: LMAO THAT WAS TERRIBLE**


End file.
